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A Pizza Blog, Established In 2008Tue, 22 Nov 2016 02:53:27 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1A Look Back At Pizza In 2012 Outside Of NYChttp://idreamofpizza.com/2012/12/a-look-back-at-pizza-in-2012-outside-of.html
http://idreamofpizza.com/2012/12/a-look-back-at-pizza-in-2012-outside-of.html#commentsMon, 24 Dec 2012 17:58:00 +0000I Dream Of Pizzahttp://idreamofpizza.com/?p=49Although most of the pizza I consume throughout the year is in New York City, most of the reviews that appear on I Dream Of Pizza are places outside of the area (go figure). Whenever I travel, I make it my mission to try pizza and this year was no exception. I spent three months in San Francisco this summer, so there were a lot of West Coast pizza reviews on this site this past year.

The best slice I had outside of New York was actually in San Francisco at Arinell Pizza — a no-frills spot in the Mission District which has lines out the door in the evenings. It’s that good.

What was the best pie? We’ll it’s a tie. Trattoria Pizzeria Il Lupone is a Vera Pizza Napoletana certified spot in Toyko, who’s Neapolitan pies were nearly perfect. The other might surprise you. But I’ve found myself falling in love with Denino’s Pizza Place in Aberdeen, New Jersey. The original Denino’s is on Staten Island, but the pies at this outpost are comparable (and conveniently located near my girlfriend’s parents).With that, I invite you to look back on all of the pizza places I visited outside of New York City this past year:

]]>http://idreamofpizza.com/2012/12/a-look-back-at-pizza-in-2012-outside-of.html/feed11Deep Dish Vs. Thin Crust At Little Star In SFhttp://idreamofpizza.com/2012/07/deep-dish-vs-thin-crust-at-little-star.html
http://idreamofpizza.com/2012/07/deep-dish-vs-thin-crust-at-little-star.html#commentsTue, 10 Jul 2012 17:58:00 +0000I Dream Of Pizzahttp://idreamofpizza.com/?p=75When a pizza place has its menu sectioned off between deep dish pies and thin crust pies its usually a warning sign. In fact, deep dish pies on any pizza menu should be alarming. Other than perhaps one or two Pizzeria Uno locations in Manhattan it’s actually impossible to get a deep dish pie there. And there is a reason for that. In San Francisco, on the other hand, there are a handful of places that serve deep dish pies.

On of them is Little Star, a mini chain with three locations in the Western Addition, Mission and Albany neighborhoods. I’d heard their pies were good. But it had everything going against it when I sat down: (a) it had deep dish pies on the menu, (b) it was a mini chain, and (c) it’s in San Francisco (a fact not to be overlooked — pizza in San Francisco just isn’t that good in general).

Given all of this, I was pleasantly surprised when I bit into both a thin crust and deep dish pie my friend and I ordered. They were pretty good. Not “go out of your way and run here now” good. But above average. We opted for a “Classic” personal deep dish (sausage, mushrooms, onions, green bells) which cost $8.95 and a “Little Star” personal thin crust (spinach blended with ricotta & feta, mushrooms, onions, garlic) for the same price.

The deep dish pie had a flavorful sauce and was not disgustingly heavy. I strongly recommend the personal sized pie — which I’ve also enjoyed at places like Lou Malnati’s in Chicago — because they hold together well. With a large pie you often end up eating clumps of cheese and sauce. All of the other ingredients added a different element to the pie, but none stood out in a negative way. I didn’t have high hopes for this pie, but as far as deep dish goes… it was solid.

Although our thin crust Little Star pie looked tasty, I was unsure how it would stack up to the deep dish pie. In short: it stacked up well. I was nervous about the onions and mushrooms in particular, but they were both cooked to perfection. I was nervous about the pie having too heavy of a ricotta flavor, but it had just the right amount of cheese. The crust was soft and thick enough to hold together the toppings. Another hit when I least expected it.

Classic Deep Dish

Thin Crust Little Star

I’m certainly not going to tell you that you must try Little Star. But it’s certainly a viable option for pizza in San Francisco. They use good ingredients, their menu is focused on a small number of pies — all of which they presumably do well, the prices are reasonable, and the service was friendly. Maybe we’ll be seeing a few more Little Star locations in the coming years. I’d be in favor of that.